New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana

Activist rips choice of Thelma Melendez as Garcetti’s Education Deputy

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana 3 Comments

Op-Ed: Mayor’s Education Appointment Presents Pivotal Opportunity

By Karen Wolfe, special to K12NN

Rumors that Mayor Garcetti will appoint Thelma Melendez to be his education deputy are causing grave concern among public school parents.

In making this appointment, the Mayor should follow his creed to lead by listening and consider first and foremost the concerns of public school parents, the only “special interest” group whose only concern is children. In so doing, he can resist appointing a staffer who will advance the so-called “reform agenda” which tends to view schools as business franchises in need of a quick corporate turn-around. Continue reading→

L.A. Mayor Garcetti may hire former SAUSD Superintendent to advise him

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana 1 Comment

As Mayor Eric Garcetti considers his top education appointment, one name is generating more buzz than any other — Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, according to the LA School Report.

She quit her job as Superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District after a huge scandal broke out – at Spurgeon Intermediate, where 12 year old kids were openly smoking pot, tagging and disrupting their classrooms, as we reported a few months ago. Continue reading→

SAUSD School Board appoints Charles E. McCully as Interim Superintendent

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Jose Hernandez, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, June 17, 2013
Contact: Deidra Powell, Chief Communications Officer, (714) 558-5555

Charles E. McCully Appointed as Interim Superintendent for Santa Ana Unified School District

The Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education approved the selection of Charles E. McCully to be the interim superintendent as a result of the retirement of Dr. Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana this summer. Mr. McCully will begin early July leading the sixth largest school district in California while the Board actively conducts a nationwide search for a permanent superintendent. Continue reading→

Was the SAUSD tipped off about a gas leak at Valley High before the boiler blew?

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Public Safety, Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Administrators had recently received several complaints from Santa Ana Valley High School staff about a strong smell of gas in a building where an explosion took place Tuesday morning, according to two sources close to the situation, according to the Voice of OC.

The SAUSD is denying any knowledge of complaints about possible gas leaks but if they did know, and did nothing about it, the district could be held liable by Cal/OSHA for willfully and negligently endangering the lives of SAUSD employees at Valley High School, and I would imagine that both the State and County Departments of Education would want to look into this as well – as students’ lives were also put in danger. Continue reading→

The SAUSD says adios Dr. Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, one last time

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 1 Comment

Dr. Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana worked in education for 30 years, but the mess that is the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) derailed her and today the SAUSD held a “retirement celebration” in her honor, at Santa Ana High School’s Kubba Gardens, from 3:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Meléndez opted to retire after a horrible scandal at Spurgeon Intermediate, when the kids were found to be running amok, and the teachers had to complain to the State’s Labor Department. Continue reading→

Will the controversial Ed Heatley become the next SAUSD Superintendent?

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 6 Comments

Inside sources are reporting that outgoing SAUSD Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, who is retiring after the school year, is pushing the SAUSD School Board to hire a controversial guy named Edmond Heatley.

Heatley is a retired U.S. Marine Corp Master Sgt. who, when he was serving as the Superintendent in the Chino Valley Unified School District, wrote a memo in 2008, urging Chino Valley’s Board of Education to approve a resolution in support of Proposition 8, the measure to prohibit marriage equality in California, according to Berkeleyside. Continue reading→

SAUSD Asst. Superintendent suddenly quits to take another job

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 7 Comments

Chad Hammitt

Chad Hammitt, the SAUSD’s Assistant Superintendent in charge of Personnel Services has quit, after 16 years in Santa Ana, not long after SAUSD Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana announced her retirement.

Hammitt is joinin the Saugus district. He grew up in Ventura and is in the process of earning his doctorate in education from the University of Southern California, according to the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Continue reading→

SAUSD Superintendent Meléndez de Santa Ana will retire in July

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 20 Comments

Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana is retiring

Embattled SAUSD Superintendent Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana recently lost the support of the Santa Ana Educators’ Association, the union that represents our teachers. Sources said the School Board was about to call her on the mat. She has apparently decided to run for the hills, as the SAUSD announced her retirement in a press release distributed last night. (See it below). Kudos to SAEA President Susan Mercer – she won this war.

I was hoping she would make a difference but instead she weakened school discipline, hurt our fundamental schools, made a mess of food service, hired too many consultants, and failed to crack the SAUSD’s entrenched bureaucracy. Adios Thelma. Enjoy your huge pension… We can but hope that the next Superintendent will be an improvement.

Here is the SAUSD’s press release, which as you might expect is quite sugarcoated: Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s teachers declare war on the SAUSD’s Superintendent

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 2 Comments

SAEA Letter re Superintendent

The Santa Ana Educators’ Association’s President, Susan Mercer, has had enough. She distributed a stark letter to her members, who are the teachers at the Santa Ana Unified School District, yesterday, announcing that “we have waited long enough for issues to be tackled.”

Here are a few excerpts from Mercer’s letter: Continue reading→

Is it time to take our kids out of the SAUSD’s public schools?

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 5 Comments

SAUSD poor performing schools

Never mind the problems at Spurgeon Intermediate. The situation at the SAUSD is much worse. An inside soruce tells me that there was a meeting this week for parents of elementary schoolchildren. The district wanted to inform the parents that they will be getting rid of Honors classes. Students will either have to be in AP classes or in standard classes that will throw everyone in one room, from those achieving at the elementary level to those who would normally be in Honors classes. And this is coming our way in middle school as well.

I have supported SAUSD Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, since she arrived here in Santa Ana, however she seems to be perfectly willing to turn low income kids into guinea pigs for every whim in education that suits her own political and/or egotistical purposes. Continue reading→

The SAUSD hires Stefanie Phillips to be their new Deputy Superintendent

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Dr. Stefanie Phillip

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Deidra Powell
(714) 558-5555

New Deputy Superintendent – Stefanie Phillips, Ed.D.– Joins SAUSD

SANTA ANA, CA — March 20, 2013 – The Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education has recently appointed Stefanie Phillips, Ed.D., to the position of Deputy Superintendent of Operations, Chief Business Officer, for the Santa Ana Unified School District. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Phillips was Deputy Superintendent for the Clayton County School District in Jonesboro, Georgia, where she had direct oversight for the Academic, Human Resources, Operations and Finance Divisions. Continue reading→

Poll: Who is Santa Ana’s 2012 Woman of the Year?

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Cecilia Iglesias, Claudia Alvarez, Elections, Janet Nguyen, Karina Onofre, Loretta Sanchez, Michele Martinez, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Politics, Santa Ana, Women 28 Comments

This was a news-packed year in Santa Ana – and women were a big part of many of our leading stories this year. Now its time to pick our 2012 Woman of the Year. Are you ready to vote? You may vote for up to three candidates! Please let me know if I overlooked someone who should be added to the poll. Voting will close on Jan. 8, 2013.

Our nominees include popular politicians and community and education leaders, including Angelica Amezcua, the schoolteacher who came out of nowhere to win a seat on the Santa Ana City Councilp; Claudia Alvarez, who finished her last term as Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem and promptly got elected to the RSCCD Board of Trustees; Cecilia Iglesias, the newly minted Republican who ended up being the top vote-getter for the SAUSD School Board; and Delilah Snell, the creative mastermind of the Road Less Traveled and the Patchwork Festivals.

Here is our poll – be sure to vote for up to three candidates: Continue reading→

Rededication Ceremony at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School set for 10/1

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Development, Education, Entertainment, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 27, 2012

Contact: Deidra Powell, Chief Communications Officer, (714) 558-5555 Office

Media Advisory: Rededication Ceremony at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School on October 1, 2012

Event: As the District’s third oldest school, Thomas A. Edison Elementary is an integral part of Santa Ana’s history. Built in 1937, Edison has recently undergone major reconstruction to become a 21st century facility that supports Santa Ana Unified School District’s goal of preparing all students to be college and career ready. The SAUSD Board of Education and Superintendent Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D. will participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony to symbolize the transformation of Edison Elementary. Continue reading→

Disaster strikes as the SAUSD has apparently lost their QEIA funding

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in california, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities 11 Comments

What will SAUSD Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana do now?

Update: Fresno Unified is losing their QEIA funding too, due to low test scores, and San Bernardino Unified is losing 7 million in QEIA funding.

The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) has apparently lost their Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) funding, which will result in a huge excess of teachers – and no money to pay for them, according to a district insider who has asked to remain anonymous. To make matters worse, the district did not “RIF,” (Reduction in Force) or lay off teachers, meaning they are now stuck paying the teachers.

I am hearing that the district is in complete scramble mode – and they are coming up with some truly ridiculous schemes. They will say anything to avoid fessing up to screwing up royally. Rumor has it that they are going to change to a six period day based on the premise that everyone should have an elective. Most of the students have an elective already in the current seven period day and the rest of them don’t have one because the district forced the schools to put them in two periods of math despite the objections of some teachers. Continue reading→

SAUSD schools suck again – why do the Trustees keep getting elected?

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Democratic Party, Education, Politics, Santa Ana 27 Comments

How depressing. The OC Weekly posted a number of articles featuring the worst Orange County elementary, middle and high schools. The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) dominated all three worst ten lists. Now we know why SAUSD Trustee Audrey Noji sent her son to a high school in Irvine.

Noji was of course reelected last year, after her fellow Trustee, John Palacio (who maintains a second home in Arizona and is only here in CA on a part time basis) endorsed her. Yes, he too was reelected. Continue reading→